Jean Monnet Network on enforcement of EU law (EULEN)

Fundamental rights

Popular Sovereignty v Rule of Law: Defining the Limits of Direct Democracy (by Stephania Elis Karasamani)

This research concerns the first transnational agenda initiative (an agenda initiative is defined as the process whereby a number of citizens place an issue on the agenda of parliament), the European Citizens’ Initiative. In the context of the EU, 1 million citizens may place an issue on the agenda of the European Parliament subject to…

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EU AFSJ Agencies and Bodies as Global Actors in the Fight against Crime: Accountability for Fundamental Rights Violations (by Elmin Omicevic)

To effectively prevent and combat transnational crime, EU agencies and bodies operating within the area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) increasingly cooperate with countries outside the EU. Although the performance of external activities undoubtedly boosts their operational efficiency, it may also involve the violation of fundamental rights of individuals. This PhD project examines the…

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EU data protection: a super functional framework? Understanding and enhancing the functionality of EU data protection law for the benefit of fundamental rights in the area of information technologies (by Florence D’Ath)

This study conceptualizes the notion of legal functionality as the capability of a given law to provide practical tools to its addressees in order to achieve its objectives. This study then explores the functionality of EU data protection law with respect to its objective to ensure the respect of all the fundamental rights and freedoms…

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Single Supervisory Mechanism: Protecting fundamental rights in a composite law enforcement area (by Argyro Karagianni)

EU authorities are increasingly performing law enforcement tasks. The European Central Bank and the European Securities and Markets Authority can for instance impose administrative fines on companies (banks; credit rating agencies) or refer cases to national authorities for prosecution. OLAF and Eurojust have coordinating and investigative tasks in the area of the investigation and prosecution…

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